Grumpy surged out of bed with a shout, looking around the strange room wildly. He didn't recognize anything. Where was Doc? And Bashful? Where were his brothers?!

A yelp came from behind the door, and Grumpy froze, his heart hammering. Was it Emil again? He crept forward, using his magic to enhance his hearing. He was safe in this room; he could feel his magic surrounding him in a cocoon of security, so he knew nobody could get in.

"What are you shouting about, Charming?" Honesty asked.

"He shouted first," Charming retorted. "But I can't touch the door. It shocked me, I think."

"Must be his magic. You said he hollered?"

"I heard it, too, Grandmama," Belligerent said, sounding sleepy.

There was a knock on the door, and Grumpy reversed the hearing spell before he cracked the door and peeked out. Honesty peered at him.

"You okay?"

Grumpy shrugged but said nothing. It took too much effort to try to speak, so he preferred not to.

"You cast a spell on this room?" she asked.

Grumpy nodded once.

"Will you take it off?"

Grumpy shook his head sharply.

"Can anyone get in?"

Grumpy nodded and pointed at her, and Honesty relaxed. "Fine then. We'd all better get in bed. Goodnight."

Grumpy snapped the door shut then leaned against it and took several deep breaths. His memories were slowly coming back, and he sincerely wished they weren't. Emil had cornered him again and had nearly gotten him this time. But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was that his brothers had gone after Emil and left him alone to deal with the repercussions. He knew they needed to catch him, but he wished just one had stayed. How could he get through this alone?

Though Grumpy tried to fall asleep again, he simply couldn't. His shoulder burned, and it took all of his concentration to not start rubbing his skin off. Usually his brothers made sure he didn't hurt himself, but they were gone. After several hours, he sat up and sent out a burst of magic to see where everybody was. He was the only one up, so he got out of bed and padded barefoot out of the bedroom to explore the house. It was much bigger than it initially looked, going deep into the earth.

There were so many rooms, and it was interesting to see the Dwarfish architecture. His brothers had built their cottage leaning toward their customer base, so it was very human. He'd never been underground quite like this. He eventually got to the door that he'd protected with his magic, and he stared at it for a moment, searching himself for any greed. None came forward, and he sighed with relief then turned and headed back down the hall.

When he got to the living room, he tossed a fire into the fireplace then sat down in front of it. He couldn't stand that for too long as his shoulder burned hotter, and he moaned as he gave in and rubbed his scar. He whimpered and rubbed harder as relief wasn't forthcoming. Oh why wouldn't it stop?!

As his shoulder seared beneath his increasingly frantic ministrations, somebody took his hand. "That's not a very good thing for you to be doing there."

Grumpy started and jumped aside, expecting a strike. For a moment, he was very confused as he stared at a male Dwarf he didn't quite recognize.

"It's okay," the Dwarf said. "Let me get something for that. You're rubbing yourself raw."

Grumpy glanced at his shoulder and flushed then sat on his hands and began rocking back and forth. His scar was still burning, and tears stung his eyes. The Dwarf came over with a jar of soothing gel. Grumpy recognized the smell. It was the same stuff Doc used on him, so he relaxed and allowed him to rub the jelly onto his shoulder.

"There now. Feel better?"

Grumpy didn't answer because the answer was no. The Dwarf adjusted his spectacles in a similar manner as Doc. Then he recognized him. It was Rationality, who was an uncle by marriage. He was Doc's favorite uncle, and his older brother spoke very highly of him. Rationality had schooled him until he'd gone off to apprentice for two years under a doctor.

"I'll take that as a no," Rationality surmised. "Well, I can stay up awhile to sit with you. Would you like some food? You didn't eat supper."

Grumpy hesitated then gave a shy nod. Rationality helped him into a chair then got a blanket and heated up some apple cider before retrieving a heaping plate of food. Grumpy eyed it with astonishment. Rationality laughed. "Constancy made your plate. She thinks you're too skinny. Don't worry. I'll have some, too."

Rationality sat in the chair beside him and sank into the cushion. "Ah, that's better. Let's eat. I'm a bit peckish myself."

Grumpy enjoyed the food. Though it was cold, it was good, and he tried a bit of everything. Between the two of them, they cleaned the plate, and Grumpy swallowed the last bite then sighed with satisfaction. Rationality smiled.

"Feel better now?"

Grumpy made a gesture to indicate a little.

"A little? Good. You look absolutely awful so every little bit must help."

Grumpy grimaced and reached up to touch his swollen eye. Then he shivered and hugged himself, so very sad at how things were turning out with his kin. Rationality gazed at him, his expression thoughtful.

"Have you really been branded like Diligent thinks?"

Grumpy nodded once then turned and pointed at his red shoulder. The intentional star-shaped scar meant there was no mistaking it as a brand. Rationality leaned forward and placed his fingers on the lines across Grumpy's back.

"And what about these?"

Grumpy turned around and flicked his wrist in a snapping motion.

"Whipped?" Rationality asked, alarmed. "What for?"

Grumpy shrugged and looked away.

"You can tell me," Rationality said.

Grumpy shook his head and made several gestures indicating he couldn't speak.

Rationality nodded. "I see. Well. I am curious. You seem to have led a very rough life."

Grumpy nodded and shrugged.

"I'd say it does matter, to Doc and them at least, so it matters to us, too, no matter what Diligent says to you."

Grumpy grimaced and shrugged again, curling into himself. He turned his eyes back to his fire, and Rationality glanced over then did a double-take when he noticed the sheen of green around the edges of the flames. He gasped and hurried over to kneel down. That's when he noticed that there was no wood.

"How are you doing this?" Rationality asked breathlessly, glancing over.

Grumpy snapped his fingers, and sparks flew from his fingertips. Rationality's face took on a glow of pleasure as he resumed his seat and faced Grumpy.

"Show me more."

Grumpy's brow creased and he frowned and squinted.

"Why?" Rationality guessed. Grumpy nodded, and his uncle grinned. "Because Diligent isn't here to say no, of course. He never lets anybody talk about magic. He didn't even know you could do magic until you did whatever it was with Doc. He doesn't know what to think anymore. You seem to surprise us at every turn."

Grumpy's cheeks turned red, and he looked away, hunching up.

Rationality leaned over and patted his hand. "You're not used to receiving compliments, are you?" he asked.

Grumpy shrugged.

"Determination was like that."

Grumpy turned so fast that he had to catch himself before he tumbled out of the chair. Rationality gazed at him for a moment, curious about his behavior. Grumpy blushed even more, reddening up to his ears just like Bashful, and Rationality peered closer at him.

"I suppose you don't know much about Determination, do you?"

Grumpy shrugged and tried to wave nonchalantly, but his insides were hot. He still hadn't been able to bring himself to ask about Determination and Charity, his parents. Besides the one memory that had been stolen from him by Holda, he had absolutely no memories from his early childhood. In effect, he'd never known his parents, and he was afraid to ask more about them. His brothers understood, though they were clearly bursting to share more stories about them.

"They don't talk about them?"

Grumpy gestured and shrugged.

"Not much, eh?"

Another head shake.

"Don't blame them. After what that witch did to their folks, I can see why."

Grumpy glanced over and frowned. He scooted a little closer and gestured for more.

"Oh, they were cursed by a witch."

Grumpy gestured again.

Rationality frowned. "They were cursed to die in a blizzard."

Grumpy stared at him then shook his head very slowly.

"Beg pardon?" Rationality asked.

Grumpy got up and walked over to the desk then scribbled on a piece of paper. He padded over and handed it to Rationality, his gaze intense.

'That ain't how curses work.'

Rationality read this several times then sat back and took a deep breath. "You're sure?"

Grumpy nodded then thumped his chest before miming reading a book.

"You've studied curses?" Rationality asked.

Grumpy nodded again.

"Oh."

Rationality didn't speak for several minutes as he stared at the fire. "How do we tell Diligent?" he asked softly. "He was so sure."

Grumpy shrugged again then yawned and rubbed his eyes.

Rationality chuckled. "Guess it's time for bed again. Come on. Let's get you to your room."

Grumpy allowed Rationality to help him up. His entire body protested. Yep. There was the pain. He had been wondering where it was. He leaned heavily on Rationality as the Dwarf helped him down the stairs. He stopped at the door and reached over to open it, but Grumpy caught his hand. Before Rationality could react, a burst of green sparks erupted between them, and he felt something settling around him. Grumpy released his hand and let him open this door.

"That's right," Rationality breathed, his eyes glinting. "You did magic! Can I go in now? Is that what you did?"

Grumpy nodded, and Rationality grinned then helped him to bed. Grumpy lay down without complaint, and Rationality headed for the door.

"Try and get some sleep, Grumpy. You'll feel better in the morning."

Grumpy doubted it very much, but it was the sentiment that counted. When the door was closed, Grumpy staggered to his feet and went over to Doc's bed again. He lay down and curled up, then he thought about his conversation with Rationality. He could definitely see why he was the favorite uncle, at least. He seemed very intelligent and, well, rational. It was a nice change from Diligent's hot temper.

As he lay there, he thought of his brothers and wondered where they were. He knew Emil wouldn't stop running for a few days; he'd been a thief for too long to think he would be safe in the next town over. When his brothers caught him, Grumpy was going to try and portal them back if he could. Or at least get them closer. Then his thoughts turned to Snow. Maybe he'd have an answer by this evening. He hoped so. She needed to get here to sort things out. Emil would appeal to the queen instead of relying on the mercy of the Dwarfs, which he didn't believe in anyway. And what he'd said to her when she'd been Kasper wouldn't be forgotten. He'd regret asking for her to mediate.

With that gleeful thought, Grumpy smiled and nestled into the blanket. It would be worth it, he told himself, and with Rationality on his side, he felt so much safer. So he took a deep breath and relaxed back into sleep, hoping that he didn't have the same nightmarish memory again that night.